Hidalgo County: New Business Opportunities

Hidalgo County is a county found in the U.S. State of Texas. Found in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, Hidalgo County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, and is the seventh most-populous county in Texas. Its population in 2010 was 774,769, a 35% increase from 2000. It is named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the priest who raised the call for Mexico's autonomy from Spain. The seat of Hidalgo County isEdinburg, while the largest town is McAllen..


The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area is located within Hidalgo County. It is bordered by Cameron County and Willacy County on the east, Brooks County on the north, Starr County on the west, and Mexico on the south. Hidalgo County is located opposite of the Mexican town ofReynosa, across the Rio Grande Brook.


Hidalgo County comprises 1,596 square miles (4,130 km2) of the Rio Grande River delta. The northwards part of the county has sandy and light loamy soils over deep reddish or mottled, clayey subsoils. In some areas limestone lies within forty inches of the surface. The southern part of the county has moderately deep to deep loamy surfaces over clayey subsoils. Along the Rio Grande brown to red clays occur. Hidalgo County is in the South Texas Plains foliage area, which features grasses, mesquite, live oaks, and chaparral. Native plants, reduced in recent times by intensive farming, include chapote, guayacan, ebony, huisache, Brazilwood, and yucca.


In 1982, 91 percent of the land was in farms and ranches, with 52 p.c of the farmland under cultivation and 85 p.c irrigated; 51 to 60 percent of the county was considered prime farmland. The primary crops were sorghum, cotton, corn, and plants; Hidalgo County led Texas counties in the production of cabbage, onions, cantaloupes, carrots, and watermelons. The number one fruits and nuts grown in the county were grapefruit, oranges, and pecans. Cattle, milk cows, and hogs were the main cattle products.


Natural resources included caliche, sand, gravel, oil, and gas. Gas and oil production in 1982 totaled 98,487,211,000 cubic feet (2.7888472?109 m3) of gas-well gas, 139,995 barrels of crude oil, 1,101,666 barrels of condensate, and 15,784,000 cubic feet (447,000 m3) of casinghead gas. The climate is subtropical and subhumid. Temperatures range from an average low of 47? F in January to a mean high to 96? In July; the average annual temperature is 73? Rainfall averages twenty-three inches a year, and the growing season lasts for 320 days of the year. VisitHidalgo County for more information.



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